Matt Goss says he’s glad he left Strictly before Halloween week due to his Poland Syndrome condition

Matt Goss has revealed he’s glad he was eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing ahead of Halloween week as his rare condition meant he would have been uncomfortable dressing in costume.

The 80s pop singer, 54, suffers with Poland syndrome – a disorder in which affected individuals are born with missing or underdeveloped muscles on one side of the body, resulting in abnormalities that can affect the chest, shoulder, arm, and hand. 

And in a candid new interview, Matt revealed that he’s’ not as confident as people think’ as he opened up on the condition that sometimes makes him ‘feel like a weirdo’.

Canid: Matt Goss has revealed he’s glad he was eliminated from Strictly ahead of Halloween week as his rare condition meant he would have been uncomfortable dressing in costume

Matt and pro partner Nadiyah Byckova were voted off the BBC show in week four, after facing Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima in the dance-off.

And despite the star at the time getting emotional as being the third celebrity to leave the competition, on reflection, he noted that he’s happy he left when he did.

He told The Mirror: ‘I really think getting out just before Halloween was probably good. I’m a confident man, but aesthetically and just me, I’m not as confident as people think.

Condition: The 80s pop singer, 54, suffers with Poland syndrome – a disorder in which affected individuals are born with missing or underdeveloped muscles on one side of the body

The performer when on to tell the publication that dressing up in costumes may have been ‘difficult’ for him as his condition at times makes him feel ‘like a weirdo’ and uncomfortable with his appearance. 

The birth defect is characterised by an underdeveloped chest muscle and is more prevalent in men, with Poland Syndrome believed to affect between 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 100,000.

He added: ‘I have Poland Syndrome, so I only have one pec that was brought to the attention of a lot of people so I’m glad that the Poland Syndrome [was brought to people’s attention]. I remember sitting down and tears falling out of my eyes watching the Olympics it was given a name and it hadn’t been given a name.

‘A Poland Syndrome charity said they’d never had so much publicity and an 85-year-old man said he didn’t know what it was called until he read the piece. Because people look at you and it’s like, ‘what’s going on’, you feel like a weirdo and now I feel like I am who I am.’

The When Will I Be Famous? hitmaker also shared that despite his charisma on stage, he had difficulty showing his emotional side on the show, remarking that you should be allowed to ‘reveal yourself at our own pace’.

He added that at the point of his elimination, he ‘ironically’ was beginning to come out of his shell, before adding that the reception and kind words from the public had been ‘mind-blowing’. 

Last month, Matt told the challenges of being on the popular TV show had improved his posture and body confidence. 

Matt, who is trying to raise awareness of Poland syndrome which he has had since birth, said the way he has tackled the demanding dance routines of Strictly shows he is ‘not disadvantaged’ by it. 

During one week on the show, the judges were criticised by some fans for being overly harsh on the Bros singer after Anton du Beke compared his frame to an ‘unmade bed’.

But Goss, who was partnered in the programme with Ukrainian dancer Nadiya Bychkova, said: ‘My posture has improved since being on Strictly.

‘I want to say to the judges, you’ve made me want to improve this and be proud of my posture. I want to thank them. This is a journey for me – every week I am getting stronger.’

Honest: in a candid new interview, Matt revealed that he’s’ not as confident as people think’ as he opened up on the condition that sometimes makes him ‘feel like a weirdo’

Farewell: Matt and pro partner Nadiyah Byckova were voted off the BBC show in week four, after facing Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima in the dance-off

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He added that he felt ‘elegant’ in his dance and that he thought his grandparents, who inspired the routine, would be proud of what he had achieved.

He paid tribute to the show’s ‘very caring’ costume team who produce his outfits.

‘It has been one of my favourite things about the Strictly experience,’ he said. ‘The costume team were relative strangers at the beginning but from the start they’ve always been very kind and discreet – it has really touched me.

Truth: ‘I really think getting out just before Halloween was probably good. I’m a confident man, but aesthetically and just me, I’m not as confident as people think’

‘I have one pectoral muscle on the right side instead of two. The lower one is missing but the upper one is fine and strong.

‘If I get a jacket made it will pull on the right side more. I have it tight on my right so it counterbalances my left side. Slim tailoring is good for me and my fashion is determined by my chest shape.’

Goss also revealed that with his newfound body confidence, he plans to reshoot famous Bros photos from the Eighties. ‘Nobody will have ever noticed but I often used to pose covering that side of my chest,’ he said. 

‘After Strictly I plan to reshoot those pictures and show my chest. Those original pictures tell a story – I was self-conscious then.’

Tough: The singer also shared that despite his charisma on stage, he had difficulty showing his emotional side on the show, remarking that you should be allowed to ‘reveal yourself at our own pace’